A Nightmare on Elm Street (NES), David Wise, 1989

Before developer Rare became one of gaming’s powerhouses in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it toiled away for several years as one of the many companies churning out NES titles for various distributors. One of those distributors was LNJ – infamous for the usually low quality of the products that the company peddled. More than a few of their games were developed by Rare – almost all of them justifiably forgotten.

One of the stronger results of the collaboration between LNJ and Rare was A Nightmare on Elm Street – based of course on one of the most popular horror franchises of the 1980s. “Stronger” doesn’t mean that the game was an unqualified success – according to critics, it was merely better than most other LNJ titles and all in all made for a passable platformer. The game arguably would have been more distinctive had Rare stuck with the original concept where gamers controlled Freddie to hunt down teenagers. It’s not hard to see why this initial draft of the game was scrapped, particularly on a Nintendo console.

David Wise had delivered the music for each Rare NES (and Game Boy) title since joining the company in 1986. That Wise became a game composer was due to a chance encounter with Rare founders Tim and Chris Stamper in the Leicester music shop Wise worked in. After demonstrating a Yamaha CX5 sequencer (the company’s first music computer) with his own MIDI compositions, Wise was offered a job at Rare by the Stampers. While it would be the Battletoads franchise that brought Wise’s name to the attention of game music fans, the A Nightmare on Elm Street soundtrack firmly stands as Wise’s first great score.

Writing horror music on a console as technologically restricted as the NES poses a particular challenge. Often enough, NES soundtracks overcome their inherent limitations by focusing on memorable melodies or intricate, creative rhythms. As Wise put it himself in an interview: “In the early days of video game music, with the limited resources we had at our disposal, the melody was incredibly important.” However, much contemporary horror scoring achieves its effect through other means – unsettling textures and extended use of dissonances. These musical approaches don’t translate easily to the NES, at least not without grating quickly if put in the hands of a lesser composer.

Wise achieves a more than workable compromise on the A Nightmare on Elm Street soundtrack. His score is more melodic than many horror movie and game soundtracks, but equally creates a nearly constant feeling of dread (if never outright terror). Take “Town of Elm Street”, whose opening sounds almost adventurous. Its opening melody is maybe the most complex lead Wise has written for a chiptunes score, almost cascading and rushing forth in excitement, with an upbeat conclusion to each phrase. Expert harmonisation of the two pulse wave leads begins to introduce an otherworldly feel – and then the music suddenly falls into a black pit inhabited only by a mechnical pulse and eerie background drones that uncomfortably rise in pitch. It’s not a subtle change of mood, but it’s definitely effective, particularly as those encroaching drones never leave, even as the track returns to the relatively upbeat mood of its beginning.

Wise’s use of a nagging bass pulse to underscore evil returns on several other tracks – it’s hard not to suspect the influence of John Carpenter’s horror scores here. What works on the maestro’s soundtracks does the job on the A Nightmare on Elm Street soundtrack too though. Mechanical and relentless, that bass ostinato and the menace it underscores remain elusive, without a face or other means to identify it, hunting down its victims with single-minded intent.

Other tracks find different ways to imbue horror scoring tropes with melodic content. Initially, “Inside House 2” dabbles in well-executed stereotypes. High-pitched, discordant melodies and swelling drones alternate with a forward tumbling, almost panicked bass figure. But then Wise seamlessly leads into a wistful, downright beautiful melody that comes out of nowhere – far more moving than what one would expect from an NES horror game. “Inside House 3”’s melodies – despite their fragmented nature – are almost heroic in their fanfaric progressions. Victory seems plausible and the track’s second half brings that sentiment across even more clearly with insistent, catchy chord progressions that add some pop sensibilities to the score. Wise’s most interesting composition here is “Elm Street Cemetary”. The cue pits its motivating forward push against an indecipherable shower of dissonant notes on both pulse wave channels, while also sporting the soundtrack’s most intriguing, experimental melodies.

Considering Wise’s obvious talents, it’s not surprising that the A Nightmare on Elm Street soundtrack also shines when it goes for straight horror scoring. “Title Screen”’s slowly progressing bass pulse and drones right away set the required creepy mood, working in tandem with spine-tingling, almost shrill melodies. The skeletal, but highly effective instrumentation and shrapnels of melody recall Hirokazu Tanaka’s Metroid soundtrack, while the slow tempo creates a quietly suffocating atmosphere. “Junkyard” is more aggressively dissonant still. It returns that bass pulse in its most effectively unsettling iteration, underscoring creepily harmonised arpeggios that have a disconcerting stutter effect. As a game, A Nightmare on Elm Street might have exceeded expectations simply by not being really bad – but Wise’s ambitious and creative soundtrack goes above and beyond, creating an outstanding NES score where few would have expected one.

Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll Soundtrack (NES), David Wise, 1990

Amongst the original properties that Rare launched on the NES and Game Boy, the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll games must rank among the best, up there with the Battletoads franchise. Inspired by Marble Madness’ isometric view (Rare developed the NES port), the developers concocted a joyfully bizarre and off-beat – not to mention funny – platformer. Its stars are a couple of snakes that need to gobble up as many enemies as they can so they’re heavy enough when hopping on the scales at the end of each level, hoping to be admitted to the next stage. Initially released on the NES in 1991, Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll’s playability and creative multiplayer made the game enough of a success to warrant a Sega Genesis port in 1993, netting equally strong reviews. Meanwhile, the Game Boy saw an original, somewhat more middling 2d platformer starring the two slithering protagonists.

The game’s name was obviously inspired by classic 1954 rock ‘n’ roll song Shake Rattle and Roll. As such, the musical direction that David Wise’s soundtrack would take was clear from the get go. Wise would apply his intimate knowledge of the NES sound chip to deliver a chiptunes homage to 1950s rock ‘n’ roll. Of course, few other game scores – before or since – have sought to emulate early rock ‘n’ roll music, so the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll soundtrack was bound to be a distinctive one.

In fact, it turned out to be one of Wise’s best NES scores. It’s extremely easy-going and accessible – and of course loads of fun. There’s not a huge amount to analyse here, little that pushes the NES’ technical capabilities. This is a remarkably focused soundtrack, a lesson in the merits of efficiency and focusing on the essentials. Ultimately, the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll soundtrack just wants to entertain – and so it does, ranking as Wise’s most melodic chiptunes work.

This being an homage to early rock ‘n’ roll, this isn’t constantly high-octane rock. Wise equally highlights rock’s initial connection to jazz with the elegant, infectious swing of “Title Screen” (Wise would later reprise these jazz-infused rock ‘n’ roll stylings on Donkey Kong Country). “Title Screen”’s melodies have but one goal – to be instantly catchy and Wise delivers the goods. “Level 1” and “Level 3” proceed along the same bouncy, light-footed lines, throwing in what will become a delightful staple on the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll soundtrack – lively piano soli that energise the music each time they burst forth. Both cues are simple and straightforward in their melodic gratification, with shuffling rhythms that reliably move the music along to genial, toe-tapping results.

“Level 4 & 7” is more celebratory than previous tracks, with a convincing emulation of excitedly hammered piano chords. While one might assume that Wise simply follows a formula on the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll soundtrack, his attention to detail is never in doubt. Listen to how the notes comprising those piano ‘chords’ are just slightly out of sync, to simulate the effect of a raucous live performance that values excitement over technical perfection. Rocking harder now, the score then segues into the breathlessly fun “Level 5 & 8”. The track continues the soundtrack’s trajectory into more electrifying territory with an effectively stuttering, offbeat rhythm and Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll’s wildest piano solo.

While Wise does an outstanding job fulfilling his brief, he also goes beyond just referencing his historical inspirations. Two level tracks present a twist on the rock ‘n’ roll formula that Wise deploys with such panache. “Level 2” is a bit of an oddity, as if it’s trying to break the 1950s rock template down to its bare ingredients with a more rudimentary, skeletal arrangement – and then tops it off with a nasal, somewhat cutesy lead. It’s no doubt an experiment and fairly intriguing, but it’s hard to say whether it’s successful.

“Level 6, 9 & 10” is more convincing, even though it changes the soundtrack’s mood fairly drastically. Its deep minor key chords almost feel like crisis motifs that retain some connection to the soundtrack’s rock stylings. The same goes for the insistent piano figure, nervously hovering atop a swelling and ebbing bass pulse. That’s before the piano turns more and more frantic and the bass notes reach ever higher, finally crashing down to steamroll over the other instruments with their asphyxiating weight. It’s hardly classic rock ‘n’ roll, but “Level 6, 9 & 10” doesn’t lose sight of the soundtrack’s overall style either, allowing Wise to flex his creative muscle on a score that is traditionalist and yet has few stylistic equals among its peers.

Conversion notes

The Genesis port of Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll received plaudits for the effort that was put into turning the game into a true 16-bit experience, and this determination to go the extra mile shows in the music as well. Wise largely writes a new score, honouring the same early rock ‘n’ roll inspirations as the NES original. The Genesis’ more powerful sound chip should help of course, but Wise’s new tracks feel more repetitive than their NES brethren as they shuffle along, largely lacking their excitement and energy. And while Wise tries to give the game’s new locales individual colours, only “Level 8: Snake Lakes” receives truly distinctive tones. It’s by no means a bad soundtrack and still entertaining, but ultimately the Genesis score settles for “good” rather than “great”.